tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5383323081290965903..comments2017-10-16T17:34:50.170-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Aug. 11, 2007 - Karen M. TraceyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64657677892503441252009-11-22T22:37:45.387-05:002009-11-22T22:37:45.387-05:00[url=http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/memb...[url=http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/member.php?u=259462]buy mexitil generic[/url]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68745360830614220672007-09-25T13:08:00.000-04:002007-09-25T13:08:00.000-04:00All the carping about the weak cluing and obscure ...All the carping about the weak cluing and obscure answers has been done so all I can complain about, 40 days later, is that you, Rex, did not post a picture of SPEEDEE. I had never heard of nor have any idea what this mascot looked like.<BR/><BR/>I'm old enough to remember when going to a fast-food joint was a treat, not a regular, er, course of (eating) action. At least in my family, that is: we went to a place in NJ called Dutch Hut.rudigernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52352134529631425562007-09-22T21:05:00.000-04:002007-09-22T21:05:00.000-04:00Actually I found it very easy, done in less than 1...Actually I found it very easy, done in less than 10 minutes, considering I am Italian and do the New York puzzle to improve my english vocabulary - I feel pretty good.<BR/>I immediately had AddisAbaba, Al Jazeera and Florenz Fiegfeld (probably because my name is similar and I remember people with name similar to mine). So everything else went in very fast.Fiorenza Albert-Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11733227124338211689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45066799669542416862007-09-22T10:58:00.000-04:002007-09-22T10:58:00.000-04:00This was a fun one, but I'm glad I wasn't the only...This was a fun one, but I'm glad I wasn't the only one stymied by the intersection of two long names with difficult spelling. Guess I haven't been crosswording long enough to know Ezio! <BR/><BR/>Temporary derailments: wrote "joe camel" before seeing the collision with adidas, and much worse for me: I had a horde of naiads (confusion with Orpheus's pesky maenads, I guess). Naiads let me straight to "rollbar" (which I rather liked), which in turn prevented me from getting Basinger for a while, ironic since I too love/own LA Confidential!kylonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43618644885691972912007-08-13T14:18:00.000-04:002007-08-13T14:18:00.000-04:00Couldn't you say that the puzzle does have a theme...Couldn't you say that the puzzle does have a theme ("Names that contain the letter z"} even though the answers to these clues don't show up symetrically in the grid?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40037718161853666492007-08-12T19:56:00.000-04:002007-08-12T19:56:00.000-04:00"Wheel" is slang for an important person.See seven..."Wheel" is slang for an important person.<BR/><BR/>See seventh definition <A HREF="http://www.answers.com/wheel&r=67" REL="nofollow">here</A>.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85249668369803666102007-08-12T19:35:00.000-04:002007-08-12T19:35:00.000-04:00Can someone explain why "firm wheel: abbr." is "pr...Can someone explain why "firm wheel: abbr." is "pres."? I'm stumped.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74795552029240619292007-08-11T22:35:00.000-04:002007-08-11T22:35:00.000-04:00... ou peut-etre je marchais la bas?(Diacrictical ...... ou peut-etre je marchais la bas?<BR/><BR/>(Diacrictical figures lacking.)<BR/><BR/>Grammer and tenses welling up.Fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20362402366390689032007-08-11T22:29:00.000-04:002007-08-11T22:29:00.000-04:00Les chapeaux sont toujours ... ;, and yet you mus...Les chapeaux sont toujours ... ;, and yet you must have a joke entwined in that question ?<BR/><BR/>If it's a style issue, je dirais, "quand le soleil es si fort, je porterait un baseball cap, et puis je marcherais a la plage."Fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41893136761765366272007-08-11T21:11:00.000-04:002007-08-11T21:11:00.000-04:00Hey Fergus--Can you teach me how to say "Hats are ...Hey Fergus--Can you teach me how to say "Hats are almost always a mistake" in French?green mantisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33185599751130689952007-08-11T20:48:00.000-04:002007-08-11T20:48:00.000-04:00Tres amusant, MantisTres amusant, MantisFergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51297957448794732122007-08-11T20:42:00.000-04:002007-08-11T20:42:00.000-04:00This one took a while! However, I did not have as...This one took a while! However, I did not have as much trouble with SE as some of you. Had FOLDEDUP for a while but when 46a PRES finally dawned on me TSTRAP (it was only yesterday in about the same grid position) became obvious which gave me SE in short order. My "its OK to ask my wife" rule confirmed my tentative Z in EZIO which is the last square I filled. Like Karen and anon 1:49 I thought it Mr. PINZA first name was ENZIO and was resisting the EZ.<BR/>I actually liked this puzzle more than many of you. It met my criteria of tough but doable. I've seen/heard the term EDATE and vaguely remember MAGEE. INBAD was the only thing that felt forced. Perhaps the EDAM errors came from the "supermarket wheel" clue a while back?jaenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-172736585771341822007-08-11T20:14:00.000-04:002007-08-11T20:14:00.000-04:00Nice write-up even though the puzzle didn't quite ...Nice write-up even though the puzzle didn't quite delight you! I am surprised at the number of people who struggled with Ezio's full name. I've seen him enough in crosswords (usually just the first name in the grid, though his full name has been used a number of times in clues for BASSO or BASSI as well) that I thought he wouldn't be that tough for a late-week NYT. Anyway thanks for the comments, it's always interesting to read different people's takes on a puzzle.mellocathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10637828760951248690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47254315482156933132007-08-11T20:00:00.000-04:002007-08-11T20:00:00.000-04:00Did nobody else have "herds" for "horde"? See, it...Did nobody else have "herds" for "horde"? See, it's not a lot of nomads, it's a group "of" nomads. Because nomads herd sheep and stuff. Don't they? So that screwed me royally in the NW, because herds works with Addis and Trust Me and Shebang, just not Rotator, which gave me hives. Could not be assisted by Etude, which I now assume is some sort of musical thing, but at the time wanted TaeBo or a made-up martial art like Akudo. Maybe Ejudo, which would be the art of defending oneself on the internet...<BR/><BR/>Lastly, wanted all kinds of abbreviated cheeses for the firm wheel, with gruyere (gruy) and brie (brie) as frontfunners. I know these aren't firm cheeses.green mantisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71861688594106669422007-08-11T16:01:00.000-04:002007-08-11T16:01:00.000-04:00fergus: Cousin ITT of the Addams family....(mostl...fergus: Cousin ITT of the Addams family....(mostly hair and glasses??)<BR/>T. in OPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5435191168719144892007-08-11T15:12:00.000-04:002007-08-11T15:12:00.000-04:00I'm quite proud of myself for making good work of ...I'm quite proud of myself for making good work of most of this puzzle, but I fell into many of the same traps as others. I actually began with ALJAZEERA, got JOEISUZU and ZIEGFELD (the FLORENZ came much later) from that and off I went. Filling in SRTAS at 1D let me to a total guess on ADDISABABA and the whole NW opened up for me. I also had FOLDEDUP (still hate FOLDABLE, what a horrid word) and tried very hard to get some combination of MRSPEEDY,saving the UP, but finally gave it up. I also stumbled on GIANTPANDA, thinking it had to be something much less obvious. Finally, like many others, I decided that Mario Lanzo had a brother Ezio, but no.Jim in Chicagonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80627698578863512242007-08-11T15:11:00.000-04:002007-08-11T15:11:00.000-04:00Also the latest VIAGRA TV commercial is as comical...Also the latest VIAGRA TV commercial is as comical as it is annoying. What are all those doing in the roadhouse? I would love to have some semiotician explain what's going on.<BR/><BR/>And I still don't get ITT as a Cousin of TV?Fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63571234422941619132007-08-11T14:49:00.000-04:002007-08-11T14:49:00.000-04:00What an ungainly puzzle, though it had some redeem...What an ungainly puzzle, though it had some redeeming elements. It was just a GRAB BAG, raggedly pieced together, but I did like finding one bit of SYMBIOSIS. <BR/><BR/>The Hero's welcome at 58A didn't seem right; the NOMAD HORDE was clumsy; the abbrv.s of ST. and MT. up in the NE bugged me (I am still a stickler for clue/answer consistency on abbreviations); the OIL clue at 39A was lame; and I'm sure WOLFSBANE could have been alluded to more cleverly. Could go on and on, but what I did like was FOLDABLE because it seemed to screw up so many of us. The Rodeo CLOWN was something I just learned last week. Mikhail TAL was fresh in my mind from some computer chess story in an old New Yorker that I grabbed at random. <BR/><BR/>Overall, Senor BENITEZ was perfectly emblematic of this puzzle. Only a month or two ago, the Giants were only too happy to get rid of this guy (even though he looked rather fierce, he blew save after save), and while I don't much care for the orange and black of San Francisco, I was pleased to see him depart as well. <BR/><BR/>And if this puzzle needed to call in another emblem, OLESTRA was warming up in the bullpen.Fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62441020998574565102007-08-11T14:10:00.000-04:002007-08-11T14:10:00.000-04:00Loved Joe Isuzu, but had Joe Camel for a long, hai...Loved Joe Isuzu, but had Joe Camel for a long, hair-pulling stretch...the decades get a bit foggy. And just thinking about the side effects of Olestra and Viagra added to the fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42645208844307113922007-08-11T13:55:00.000-04:002007-08-11T13:55:00.000-04:00Not to tough once you got started. And it helped ...Not to tough once you got started. And it helped that a number of the answers were old standbys...<BR/><BR/>Including, it's worth mentioning, both Tal and Pinza. Which in no way stopped me from trying 'Tony Danza' for a while. (Hey, he's working Broadway now, it could happen!)Harleypeytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13574343617664486585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28650256294605429802007-08-11T13:49:00.000-04:002007-08-11T13:49:00.000-04:00I live in the NW where both GREBEs and loons aboun...I live in the NW where both GREBEs and loons abound. That and SRTAS gave me SHEBANG. <BR/><BR/>Rex had BRASSY for smart. I had BRAINY, which also gave me the obscure GBS.<BR/><BR/>I am an old coot but never heard of ENZIO PINZA. <BR/><BR/>Patrick MCNEE (the Avengers) kept that corner a mystery. I forgot tonys are plays. Emmys are TV shows. If I went to more plays, perhaps I would have known ENZIO PINZA<BR/><BR/>Flor...Ziegfeld had me stumped too.<BR/><BR/>Don't shoot, but I kinda like the ZZ theme of today's puZZle.<BR/><BR/>(PS I loved VIDEO for VIAGRA..good one!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75111394381366519892007-08-11T13:44:00.000-04:002007-08-11T13:44:00.000-04:00Since it's a New York Times puzzle, and BENITEZ pl...Since it's a New York Times puzzle, and BENITEZ played for the Mets and against the Yankees (as a Met and an Oriole), should he be considered obscure?<BR/><BR/>Not to NY sports fans, anyway.Jeromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324615675333287919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30638816770230566602007-08-11T12:48:00.000-04:002007-08-11T12:48:00.000-04:00Totally rocked this puzzle with the exception of t...Totally rocked this puzzle with the exception of the much-discussed Z junction of the two old-timey entertainers. Also wasn't sure if it was CFO or CEO. Plus, I had SPEEDER/MAGER which seems just as plausible for two things I had never heard of.<BR/><BR/>Everything else just flowed into place STJAMES, JOE ISUZU and BENITEZ were my savoirs. I agree Armando Benitez is a tad obscure, but sports fill like this is my counterpart to all the opera/broadway fill about which I haven't a clue, so it's always welcome. I also love seeing NOMADS in the puzzle, even if the cluing was terrible.<BR/><BR/>Is Damon a nomad? Si.Damon G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14169359183650145099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71148835607980979252007-08-11T11:53:00.000-04:002007-08-11T11:53:00.000-04:00Rex and Orange, you guys made me laugh 'til it hur...Rex and Orange, you guys made me laugh 'til it hurt! I think GREBE is a great word, mb bc it rhymes with dweeb. THANKS for the grebe footage (hee hee, couldn't resist the pun).rock rabbitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30207866654058796992007-08-11T11:36:00.001-04:002007-08-11T11:36:00.001-04:00well it's true -- i have a healthy acquaintance wi...well it's true -- i have a healthy acquaintance with matters theatrical. but -- one doesn't have to had first-hand experience with these guys to have simply heard of 'em. ziegfeld died *well* before i was born! ;-) <BR/><BR/>i think a lot of solving of (one's own) obscurities comes down to what orange sez. [and reading...] even if you can't "guess" the rest, there's always walking away and coming back, when a fresh look will oftentimes yield an answer ya didn't think ya knew. "benitez"? not on my conscious radar. but playing around with the alphabet? a *big* help.<BR/><BR/>not that this helped in the se, but as i said in my previous post, that's another story!<BR/><BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/>janie (very definitely of "a certain age" [thank you for the delicate phrasing!] and soon to be sliding to a whole new category of solvers at the acpt. YIIIIKES!)jlsnycnoreply@blogger.com